Part of the series on Ayyavazhi
Theology Ekam Vethan • Thirumal • Sivan Vaikundar • The Trinity
Scriptures Akilathirattu Ammanai Akilam one • Akilam two Akilam three • Akilam four Akilam five • Akilam six Akilam seven • Akilam eight Akilam nine • Akilam ten Akilam eleven • Akilam twelve Akilam thirteen • Akilam fourteen Akilam fifteen • Akilam sixteen Akilam seventeen Arul Nool Ukappadippu • Uccippadippu Nadutheervai Ula • Pothippu Saattu Neettolai • Patthiram Panchadevar Urppatthi Sivakanta Athikarappatthiram Thingal patham Kannimar Padal • Kalyana Vazhthu
Holy sites Swamithope pathi • Ambala Pathi Mutta Pathi • Thamaraikulam Pathi Poo Pathi Pathis Vakaippathi • Avatharappathi Primary Thangals Chettikudiyiruppu • Agastheeswaram Paloor • Sundavilai Vadalivilai • Kadambankulam Pambankulam
Related Systems Hinduism Advaita • Smartism Saivism • Vaishnavism
Inter-faith Ayyavazhi and mainstream Hinduism Ayyavazhi in Christian reports
The Portal Portal: Hinduism
v • d • e

Ayyavazhi (IPA: [aia:vərɪ])(Tamil:அய்யாவழி Ayyavali^[1] -"Path of the father") is a dharmic belief system^[2] which originated in South India in the 19th century. Ayyavazhi theology is the Theology of a South Indian religious faith and officially an offshoot of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. Ekam Tamil: ஏகம் - "the supreme oneness" is the term used in Akilattirattu Ammanai, the holy book of Ayyavazhi, to represent The Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign According to the Ayyavazhi religion the Ayyavazhi Trinity is the incarnation of God in the current stage of world development ( Kali Yukam) The Akilattirattu Ammanai and Arul Nool are the scriptures of Ayyavazhi. The Akilam one is the first among the seventeen parts of Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi. Akilam Two is the second among the seventeen parts of Akilattirattu Ammanai, the scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Akilam three is the third among the seventeen parts of the religious book Akilattirattu Ammanai of Ayyavazhi religion Akilam four is the fourth section of Akilattirattu Ammanai, the primary scripture of Ayyavazhi. Akilam Five is the fifth section of Akilam, which is the primary scripture of Ayyavazhi. Akilam six is the sixth section of Akilam, the primary holy text of Ayyavazhi. The Akilam seven is the seventh sub-section of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Akilam eight is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai, the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, a religion of India. The Akilam nine is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Akilam ten is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India. The Akilam eleven is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India. The Akilam twelve is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India. The Akilam thirteen is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India The Akilam fourteen is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India The Akilam fifteen is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai which was the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Akilam sixteen is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India The Akilam seventeen is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a Holy script of Ayyavazhi, an offshoot sect The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a Holy script of Ayyavazhi, an offshoot sect The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a Holy script of Ayyavazhi, an offshoot sect The Nadutheervai (judgement + Ula (journey The journey to final judgement is a part of Arul Nool, one among the sources of Ayyavazhi mythology The Pothippu is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool which was the secondary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Saattu Neettolai is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool. The Patthiram is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool. The author of the content is unknown The Panchadevar Urppatthi is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool. The Sivakanta Athikarappatthiram is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool which was the secondary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Thingal patham is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool which was the secondary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Saptha Kannimar Padal is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool which was the secondary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a Holy script of Ayyavazhi, an offshoot sect The holy places of Ayyavazhi includes the following Primary Pathis Swamithope pathi Ambala Pathi Mutta Pathi Swamithoppe Pathi ( Tamil:சுவாமிதோப்பு பதி Swamithoppu-pathi, Manavai-pathi, Thamarai-pathi or Thalaimaippathi Ambala Pathi (அம்பல பதி also called as Pallathu pathi or Moolakunda pathi is one of the primary pathi of the Ayyavazhi, and the second Mutta Pathi ( Tamil:முட்ட பதி is one of the Pancha pathi, which are the primary centers for worship of the Ayyavazhi. Thamaraikulam Pathi ( Tamil:தாமரைகுளம் பதி is one among the Pancha pathi, the five holy places of Ayyavazhi. Poo Pathi (பூப்பதி is one among the Pancha pathi, which are the primary worship centers and holi places of Ayyavazhi. Pathi ( Tamil:பதி - "The place where God is" is the name asserted to the primary centres of congregational Vakaippathi, one among the Panchappathis is a holy site for the People of Ayyavazhi. Avathara Pathi is a phrase in Tamil which represents 'The place where God incarnates' Nizhal Thangal ( Tamil:நிழல் தாங்கல்; also called Inai Thangals) is a simple temple This Nizhal Thangal is situated 3 km west to Swamithope. There was a zeouse devotee for Vaikundar during his period This Thangal of Agastheeswaram was the second among the Primary Nizhal Thangals This Thangal of Paloor was the third among the Primary Nizhal Thangals This Thangal of Sundavilai was the fourth among the Primary Nizhal Thangals Very little information was know regarding the history of this thangal This Thangal of Vadalivilai was the fifth among the Primary Nizhal Thangals This Thangal of Kadambankulam was the sixth among the Primary Nizhal Thangals This Thangal of Pambankulam was the seventh among the Primary Nizhal Thangals Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Advaita Vedanta ( IAST Advaita Vedānta; Sanskrit अद्वैत वेदान्त əd̪vait̪ə veːd̪ɑːnt̪ə is a sub-school of the Smartism (or Smarta Sampradaya, Smarta Tradition, as termed in Sanskrit) is a denomination of the Hindu Shaivism, also spelled "Saivism" names the oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and This is an article comparing the Beliefs Mythology, Theology, Rituals etc of Ayyavazhi and Hinduism. Ayyavazhi, a belief system originating from South India, is mentioned in a number of reports by Christian missionaries in the 19th century Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Indian religions, also called Dharmic religions, are the related religious traditions that originated in the Indian subcontinent, namely Hinduism, South India is the area encompassing India 's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union ^[3] It is conceived as an independent monistic^[4] religion by several newspapers^[5][6] and academic research. Monism is the metaphysical and Theological view that all is one that all reality is subsumed under the most fundamental category of being or existence A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos ^[7][8] But in Indian censuses the majority of its followers declare themselves as Hindus. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Therefore, Ayyavazhi is also considered a Hindu sect. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ^[9][10]

Ayyavazhi is centered on Ayya Vaikundar's life and preaching, and its ideas and philosophy are based on the holy texts Akilattirattu Ammanai and Arul Nool. Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a Holy script of Ayyavazhi, an offshoot sect Accordingly, Vaikundar was the Manu (father, sovereign) avatar of Narayana. For other uses of Manu see Manu In Hinduism, Manu is a title accorded the progenitor of mankind, first king to rule Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation Narayana ( Sanskrit: नारायण nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary Ayyavazhi shares many ideas with Hinduism in its mythology and practice, but differs considerably in its concepts of good and evil and dharma. In Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy, the phrase good and evil refers to the location of objects desires and Behaviors on a two-way The Sanskrit term ( Devanāgarī: धर्म Pali transliteration dhamma) is an Indian spiritual and religious ^[11] Ayyavazhi is classified as a dharmic belief because of its central focus on dharma. ^[12]

Ayyavazhi first came to public attention in the 19th century as a Hindu sect. ^[13] Vaikundar's activities, and the growing number of followers, created a reformation and revolution in 19th century Travancore^[14] and Tamil society,^[15] surprising the feudal social system of South India. Travancore or Thiruvithaamkoor ( Malayalam: തിരുവിതാങ്കൂര്‍ "Thiru" (respectful prefix which suggests either royal or Tamil people (also called Tamils or Tamilians) ( are an Ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India, and the north-eastern ^[16]

Though Ayyavazhi followers are spread across India,^[17][18] they are primarily present in South India^[19] and highly concentrated in Tamil Nadu^[20] and Kerala. Tamil Nadu ( Tamil:, Country of the Tamils, t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ is one of the 28 states of India. Kerala ( Malayalam: {{Kerala in Malayalam}}; ^[21] The number of practitioners is estimated to be between 700,000^[22] and 8,000,000,^[23] although the exact number is unknown, since Ayyavazhis are reported as Hindus during censuses. ^[24]

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Scriptures and holy places 4 Beliefs 5 Symbolism 6 Teachings and impact 7 Worship centres 8 Ethics 9 Religiosity – study circle 10 God 11 Festivals and rituals 12 Inclusiveness and exclusivity 13 Mythology 14 Santror and Dharma yukam 15 Relation with Hinduism 16 Phenomenology 17 Social structure 18 See also 19 Bibliography 20 Notes and references 21 External links

Etymology

Main article: Etymology of Ayyavazhi

The exact origin of the name Ayyavazhi is not known. This etymological topic deals with the origin regeneration and evolution of various names by which Ayyavazhi is referred or identified throughout the period of Ayyavazhi The various theories on its derivation include:

• Ayya's path – from the direct synonymous derivation, which takes Ayya as a noun (naming word) of Vaikundar. ^[25]
• Path of Father – from the local spoken-Tamil language Ayya (father) + vazhi (path). This meaning, derived from Tamil, is most commonly used as 'ayya' , and means dear father. ^[26]
• The ultimate truth of Master^[27] – from Tamil Ayya (Master) + vazhi (the ultimate truth) is derived from the literary usage of the words. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent.
• Way of attaining the sacred feet of God – Ayya as (God) + vazhi (way to unify)^[2]

The synonymous versions of the phrase are virtually unlimited, because the usage of the word 'Ayya' in Tamil varies widely. This article deals with the general meaning of the term "synonym" It is used to convey the words father, guru, the superior etc. ^[28] The word 'vazhi' in Tamil can mean the way, manner, method, mode, antiquity, religious system and so on. ^[28]

History

Main article: History of Ayyavazhi

Ayyavazhi began to be noticed initially by the large number of people gathering to worship Vaikundar (known historically as 'Mudisoodum Perumal' )^[29] (1809 C. The History of Ayyavazhi traces the religious history of Ayyavazhi a belief-system originated in mid-nineteenth century in Southern India. Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year E – 1851 C. 1851 ( MDCCCLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year E)^[30] at Poovandanthoppe. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a town that lies southeast of the City of ^[31] The Thuvayal thavasu (washing penance), of 1840 is the origin of Ayyavazhi as an alternative religio-cultural phenomena. Thuvayal Thavasu, literally washing Penance, was a siginificant Religious event that took place in the 19th century Penance is repentance of Sins as well as the proper name of the Catholic and Orthodox Christian Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession ^[32] The majority of its participants were from the marginalised and poor sections of the society. ^[29] They began to function as a distinct and autonomous society and gradually, they identified their path with the phrase 'Ayya vazhi'. ^[33] Although the majority of these followers were from the Chanar cast, a large number of people from other castes also followed it. Nadar (also referred as Kshatriya Nadar, Nadan, Nataar, and Shanar) is one of the prominent Castes of Tamil Nadu, South ^[34] For the Christian missionaries undertaking their proselytising mission Ayyavazhi posed a great challenge. Adherents to Ayyavazhi resisted conversion to Christianity. Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religious identity or a change from one religious identity to another ^[29] Ayyavazhi's fast growth in its first century was noted by Christian missionary reports of the mid-19th century. Ayyavazhi, a belief system originating from South India, is mentioned in a number of reports by Christian missionaries in the 19th century ^[35]

By the middle of 19th century, Ayyavazhi had come to be recognised as a separate religion, deep rooted in the region of South Travancore and South Tirunelveli. Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign Swamithoppe Pathi ( Tamil:சுவாமிதோப்பு பதி Swamithoppu-pathi, Manavai-pathi, Thamarai-pathi or Thalaimaippathi Travancore or Thiruvithaamkoor ( Malayalam: തിരുവിതാങ്കൂര്‍ "Thiru" (respectful prefix which suggests either royal or Tirunelveli (திருநெல்வேலி is a city in Tamil Nadu and was formed into a Municipal corporation in 1999 by merging three municipalities viz ^[36] The growth in its number of followers had increased significantly from 1840s. ^[29] Around the closure of the 19th century, Swamithope began to be considered as the headquarters of Ayyavazhi. Year -of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar until Friday, but 12 days ahead since Saturday. ^[37] After the death of Vaikundar, Ayyavazhi was spread on the basis of his teachings. The five Seedars, who were the disciples of Vaikundar, and their descendants traveled to several parts of the country and carried the mission of Ayyavazhi. According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the scripture of the Ayyavazhi religion Ayya Vaikundar, the Incarnation of God in Kali Yukam, has five Seedar ^[38] Meanwhile the Payyan dynasty started administrating the Swamithoppe pathi,^[39] while other Pathis came under the administration of the followers of Ayya. Payyan dynasty is a family which manage and administer Swamithope pathi, the head quarters of Ayyavazhi. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a town that lies southeast of the City of Pathi ( Tamil:பதி - "The place where God is" is the name asserted to the primary centres of congregational ^[40] As per the instructions of Akilattirattu Ammanai (Akilam) the Nizhal Thangals (small pagodas) are established across the country for worship and study of scripture. Nizhal Thangal ( Tamil:நிழல் தாங்கல்; also called Inai Thangals) is a simple temple ^[41]

As a first printed work of Ayyavazhi, Arul Nool was released in 1927 followed by that of Akilam in 1933,^[42] almost a century after it had written down. ^[43] Following this, the spread of Ayyavazhi diverted in the scriptural way rather than by oral traditions which was active until then. Headquarter reports state that Ayyavazhi spread quicker after the period of Indian Independence(1940s) and further more from the 1990s^[44] Many Ayyavazhi based social welfare organisations were established in the late 20th century. India 's Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate its independence from the British rule and its birth as a Sovereign nation ^[45] Several alternative versions of Akilam including some controversial versions were released in the same period. ^[46] The Anbukkodimakkal Thirucchabai, a democratic bureau was established by the headquarters in the early 1990s to organise and govern the religion. Anbukkodimakkal Thirucchabai is a democratic bureau established by the religious headquarters of Ayyavazhi in the late 20th century Organisational conferences are held in various cities in South India including Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram ( Malayalam: തിരുവനന്തപുരം Tiruvanantapuraṁ) also known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the ^[44]

Considering the growth of Ayyavazhi, Ayya Vaikunda Avataram, the day of incarnation of Vaikundar, was declared a holiday by the state administration for the district of Kanyakumari in 1994 followed by the districts of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin in 2006. Kanyakumari District ( Tamil: கன்னியாகுமரி மாவட்டம்(also spelt 'Kanniyakumari' or 'Kanniakumari District') is Tirunelveli (திருநெல்வேலி is a city in Tamil Nadu and was formed into a Municipal corporation in 1999 by merging three municipalities viz Thoothukudi (தூத்துக்குடி ^[47][48] Currently Bala Prajapathi Adikalar, a Payyan dynasty descendant, is considered as the leader of Ayyavazhi. Bala Prajapathi Adikalar (also spelt Adigalar or Adigal) is considered as the present religious leader of Ayyavazhi. Payyan dynasty is a family which manage and administer Swamithope pathi, the head quarters of Ayyavazhi. ^[49]

Scriptures and holy places

Main articles: Ayyavazhi scriptures and Ayyavazhi holy sites

The holy books of Ayyavazhi are the Akilattirattu Ammanai (often called as 'Akilam' )^[50] and the Arul Nool, and they are the source of the religion's mythology. The Akilattirattu Ammanai and Arul Nool are the scriptures of Ayyavazhi. The holy places of Ayyavazhi includes the following Primary Pathis Swamithope pathi Ambala Pathi Mutta Pathi The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a Holy script of Ayyavazhi, an offshoot sect Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the growing South Indian religious faith and a sect of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. The Akilattirattu Ammanai was written by Hari Gopalan Seedar in 1841^[51] by hearing the contents of Akilam told by Narayana to his consort Lakshmi. According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the scripture of the Ayyavazhi religion Ayya Vaikundar, the Incarnation of God in Kali Yukam, has five Seedar Narayana ( Sanskrit: नारायण nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi (pronunciation; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth ^[52] While the original text is damaged, the daughter versions such as Swamithope version, Kottangadu version as well as the Panchalankurichi versions are the earliest existing palm-leaf versions of Akilam. ^[53] Other release versions includes, Sentrathisai Ventraperumal, the Kalai Ilakkiya Peravai, the Vivekanandan as well as the highly criticised VTV^[53] in addition to the earliest and commonly accepted Palaramachandran version. Sentratisai Ventraperumal version was one among the release versions of Akilam which was released in 1965 and was named after Sentratisai Ventraperumal, Kalai Ilakkiya Peravai version(KIPV is the latest release version of Akilam. Vivekanandan Version is one among the release versions of Akilam. Vaikundar Thirukkudumbam Version (VTV is one among the released versions of Akilam, the scripture of Ayyavazhi. The Palaramachandran Version was the ever first published version of Akilam, the scripture of Ayyavazhi by Thankaiyah ^[53] Akilam contains more than 15000 verses making up seventeen sections. It is written in poetic Tamil in a ballad form and is composed with a unique literal-style with two sub-genres, Viruttam and Natai throughout. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song.

The secondary scripture Arul Nool was a composed one which includes various books which are believed to be written by Arulalarkal (one who get possessed by divine power). ^[54] It contains the prayers, hymns and instructions for the way of worship in Ayyavazhi, rituals, prophesy and also many acts^[54] It also recollects many events found in Akilam especially that are related to the life of Vaikundar. A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions Prophecy, generally describes the disclosing of Information that is not known to the Prophet by any ordinary means ^[55] But there is no definite history for it. All these texts are compiled in Tamil language. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. ^[56]

To the Ayyavazhi devotees, there are seven holy places, called Pathis,^[57] with Pancha pathis being the most important. Pancha pathi பஞ்ச பதி ( Tamil: The five abodes of God) are the five important pilgrim centers of Ayyavazhi. Pathi ( Tamil:பதி - "The place where God is" is the name asserted to the primary centres of congregational Pancha pathi பஞ்ச பதி ( Tamil: The five abodes of God) are the five important pilgrim centers of Ayyavazhi. ^[58] The temple of Swamithope pathi is the headquarters of the Ayyavazhi. ^[59][60][61]

The five Pathis are,

1. Swamithope Pathi – The venue of the great Tavam; the religious head-quarters. Pathi ( Tamil:பதி - "The place where God is" is the name asserted to the primary centres of congregational Swamithoppe Pathi ( Tamil:சுவாமிதோப்பு பதி Swamithoppu-pathi, Manavai-pathi, Thamarai-pathi or Thalaimaippathi According to Akilattirattu Ammanai, For ten months Ayya Vaikundar revealed to the people all about the past present and future in the form of songs
2. Ambala Pathi – Where Vaikundar unified six of the Seven Deities into him. Ambala Pathi (அம்பல பதி also called as Pallathu pathi or Moolakunda pathi is one of the primary pathi of the Ayyavazhi, and the second
3. Mutta Pathi – The venue of the Second and Third Vinchais. Mutta Pathi ( Tamil:முட்ட பதி is one of the Pancha pathi, which are the primary centers for worship of the Ayyavazhi. In the literature of Hinduism Vinchai are proclamations and instructions to the newly born child Vaikundar by his father Narayana, also known as Vishnu one of the three godheads
4. Thamaraikulam Pathi – Where the Akilattirattu Ammanai is written down. Thamaraikulam Pathi ( Tamil:தாமரைகுளம் பதி is one among the Pancha pathi, the five holy places of Ayyavazhi.
5. Poo Pathi – Where Ayya unified Poomadanthai (Earth goddess) into himself through symbolic marriage. Poo Pathi (பூப்பதி is one among the Pancha pathi, which are the primary worship centers and holi places of Ayyavazhi. Bhūma Devī or Bhūmi-Devī or Bhū Devī is the divine wife of Lord Varaha, an Avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Vakaippathi, though not included in the Pancha pathi by the headquarters was still considered as a Pathi but with lesser importance. Vakaippathi, one among the Panchappathis is a holy site for the People of Ayyavazhi. Pancha pathi பஞ்ச பதி ( Tamil: The five abodes of God) are the five important pilgrim centers of Ayyavazhi. ^[62][63] Apart from this there is a disagreement within the followers of Ayyavazhi as to the holiness of some other Pathis such as Vaikunda Pathi and Avathara Pathi. The Marunthuvazh Malai ( Tamil:மருந்துவாழ் மலை also known as the Maruthuva Malai (Marunthu vazum Malai– the abode of medicinal herbs Avathara Pathi is a phrase in Tamil which represents 'The place where God incarnates' The list of Pathis announced by the headquarters of Ayyavazhi does not include those Pathis. ^[64]

Beliefs

Main article: Ayyavazhi beliefs

Followers of Ayyavazhi believe in reincarnation and the subsequent Dharma Yukam, which is the eighth and final yukam, in which Vaikundar will rule the world with the Santror. Ayyavazhi beliefs is the Beliefs of a South Indian religious faith known as Ayyavazhi. The Santror are the seven boys who were made to born by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds by Thirumal, to the Seven Virgins through their instrumentality ^[65] They condemn the Indian caste system^[66] and reject the use of standard Hindu murti in worship. Castes are Hereditary systems of occupation, Endogamy, social culture, Social class, and Political power. In Hinduism, a murti ( Devanagari: मूर्ति typically refers to an image a deity in which the Divine Spirit is expressed ( murta) However, a non-anthropomorphic symbol had been introduced to be used as a point of devotional and meditation focus. ^[67] This symbol, the Elunetru, which is placed in the Palliyarai, a seat of God, rather than God himself. Elunetru was the term used to denote the object placed in the sanctum sactorium of the worship centres of Ayyavazhi. Palliyarai(Palli+(Araiis a Tamil word used for the Sanctum Sanctoram in Hindu temples The same is true of the Elunetru's alternative name, Asanam, which means "seat. " Behind this asana, a mirror is installed to reflect the worshipper^[68] which implies, "God is yourself (or) God is within you"^[69][70] suggesting an idea about God similar to Advaitan theology. Advaita Vedanta ( IAST Advaita Vedānta; Sanskrit अद्वैत वेदान्त əd̪vait̪ə veːd̪ɑːnt̪ə is a sub-school of the

Ayyavazhi beliefs are closely related to those of Smartism and Advaita Vedanta, especially in the beliefs related to Trimurthi. Smartism (or Smarta Sampradaya, Smarta Tradition, as termed in Sanskrit) is a denomination of the Hindu Advaita Vedanta ( IAST Advaita Vedānta; Sanskrit अद्वैत वेदान्त əd̪vait̪ə veːd̪ɑːnt̪ə is a sub-school of the Hence, Ayyavazhi's followers believe that Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are different aspects of the same God. Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva ^[71] While some claim that the beliefs of Akilattirattu are related to Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita, Ayyavazhi endorses the concept of Ultimate Oneness. Dvaita ( Kannada: ದ್ವೈತ Devanagari:द्बैत is a dualist school of Vedanta Hindu philosophy. VishishtAdvaita Vedanta ( IAST Viśishṭādvaita Vedanta; Sanskrit: विशिष्टाद्वैत is a sub-school of the Vedānta The Absolute is the concept of an absolute unconditional reality which transcends limited conditional everyday existence ^[72]

Ayyavazhi's differs from other Hindus in their recognition of a Satan-like figure Kroni, the primordial personification of evil who manifests in various forms such as Ravana and Duryodhana in different ages or yugas. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Kroni ( Tamil:குறோணி is a figure in Ayyavazhi mythology. For the South Indian film see Ravana (film. Ravanaa, also transliterated as Raavana, Ravan or In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana (दुर्योधन is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari A Yuga ( Devanāgari: युग in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages God, as Vishnu, becomes incarnate in his avatars, including Rama, Krishna and eventually Vaikundar, in order to destroy the foremost evil. Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation Rama ( IAST: rāma Devanāgarī: राम Khmer: Phreah Ream Thai: Phra Ram Lao: Phra Lam Tagalog: Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism ^[73]

Kali, regarded as the spirit of Kroni in Kali Yuga is said to be omnipresent in this age and this is one of the reasons why the followers of Ayyavazhi, like other Hindus, believe that the current yuga, Kali Yuga, is decadent. Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of the primordial manifestation of Kroni (evil according to Akilam, the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book Kali Yuga ( Devanāgarī: sa कलियुग lit "Age of Kali " "age of vice" is one of the four stages of development that the world goes Kali Yuga, a mundane world separated from spirituality will give rise to a time known as Dharma Yukam, a spiritual world. Kali Yuga ( Devanāgarī: sa कलियुग lit "Age of Kali " "age of vice" is one of the four stages of development that the world goes Dharma Yukam (Tamil is the state of absolute bliss as per Ayyavazhi mythology. ^[74] Charity is Ayyavazhi's primary mission on the social ground and Anna Dharmam (offerings of food) can be seen in Ayyavazhi centres of worship at least once a month. Anna Dharmam is a term used for an Ayyavazhi ritual that involves sharing food without inter-dining ^[75]

Symbolism

Main article: Ayyavazhi symbolism

The symbol of representation of Ayyavazhi is a lotus carrying a flame-shaped white 'Namam'. Sahasrara (Sanskrit सहस्रार Sahasrāra is the seventh primary Chakra according to Hindu tradition The Ayyavazhi symbolism deals with the symbols which are used in or used to represent Ayyavazhi Nelumbo nucifera is known by a number of common names including Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, and sacred water-lily Thirunamam Thiru (word representing sacredness + Namam (name --> The Sacred name. ^[76] The lotus represents the 1,008-petalled Sahasrara (in Tamil, Ladam) and the Namam represents the Aanma Jyothi or atman. Sahasrara (Sanskrit सहस्रार Sahasrāra is the seventh primary Chakra according to Hindu tradition Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. The Ātman ( IAST: Ātman Sanskrit: आत्मन्‍ is a philosophical term used within Hinduism and Vedanta to identify the Soul ^[76] Both of the Ayyavazhi scriptures^[77][78] refers to Thirunamam('flame shaped symbol' present in the top of the Lotus in the Ayyavazhi symbol), but not the Lotus. Thirunamam Thiru (word representing sacredness + Namam (name --> The Sacred name. The symbol is the ideological summary of Akilam-based philosophy. This symbol is in practise from the mid 20th century. ^[79]

The mythical narration of akilam about the eight yugas is often viewed philosophically as eight chakras. A Yuga ( Devanāgari: युग in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages Chakra ( Pali: chakka Tibetan: khorlo Malay: cakera is a Sanskrit term meaning Circle or Wheel ^[80] The first Neetiya Yukam, is Bindu and the final state, Dharma Yukam is Sahasrara or absolute bliss. Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the growing South Indian religious faith and a sect of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. Bindu is a Sanskrit term meaning "point" or "dot" Dharma Yukam (Tamil is the state of absolute bliss as per Ayyavazhi mythology. In this series energy of consciousness(Namam) of oneself is asked to be raised from Bindu (Neetiya Yukam) to the final Sahasrara (Dharma Yukam) the lotus, the highest spiritual center of enlightenment, to experience the absolute 'bliss'. Consciousness has been defined loosely as a constellation of attributes of Mind such as Subjectivity, Self-awareness, Sentience, and the Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the growing South Indian religious faith and a sect of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. ^[81] The reigning power in the final Dharma Yukam (Sahasrara) is Ekam, which is a part of Vaikundar as per Trinity conception, or the supreme absolute. Ekam Tamil: ஏகம் - "the supreme oneness" is the term used in Akilattirattu Ammanai, the holy book of Ayyavazhi, to represent The According to the Ayyavazhi religion the Ayyavazhi Trinity is the incarnation of God in the current stage of world development ( Kali Yukam) ^[76] Ayyavazhi's symbol seems to be derived from Akilam, and the symbol, 'Lotus with Thirunamam' shows "Vaikundar's experienced in Sahasrara. "

As per certain Hindu legends this Sahasrara chakra has '1000 petals' . A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical ^[82] But in Ayyavazhi symbolism it was considered as having '1008' petals. The Ayyavazhi symbolism deals with the symbols which are used in or used to represent Ayyavazhi In Ayyavazhi there is no scriptural background to indicate the importance of '1000', but the number '1008' is commonly mentioned. Also the incarnation year of Vaikundar is 1008 M. E (Malayalam Era). Backing these scriptural identities, 1008 petal lotus are followed in Ayyavazhi symbolism. The Ayyavazhi symbolism deals with the symbols which are used in or used to represent Ayyavazhi ^[80] Since the Sahasrara is symbolised as Lotus, no stem is drawn for the lotus. Nelumbo nucifera is known by a number of common names including Indian lotus, sacred lotus, bean of India, and sacred water-lily

Also a new building architecture has been developed in constructing Nizhal Thangals where the inverted Lotus petals (as in sahasrara) is used as a design over the roof. ^[83] The lotus may also represents the heart and the flame shape (Thirunamam), the divinity. The heart is a muscular organ in all Vertebrates responsible for pumping Blood through the Blood vessels by repeated rhythmic ^[84] Ayyavazhi has used other symbols including Vaishnavite ' Triple Namam '(not used currently), and Conch. Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and A conch (pronounced in the USA as "konk" or "konch" ˈkɒŋk or /ˈkɒntʃ/ is one of a number of different Species

Teachings and impact

Main article: Teachings and impacts of Ayyavazhi

While the majority of Ayyavazhi's key teachings can be found in the book Akilattirattu Ammanai, other teachings are collated from various books believed to be written by unknown authors whose works feature in the Arul Nool. The Ayyavazhi includes a corpus of teachings of its initiator Ayya Vaikundar in the form of instructions and slogans found in the Religious book Akilattirattu ^[85] Like Dharma, the other teachings of Ayyavazhi are twofold, sociological and mystical. The mystical teachings are devoted to revealing divine knowledge while social teachings are primarily concerned with eliminating inequality and discrimination in society. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity The teachings encourage a close relationship with God, rather than one of fear. Followers are encouraged to refer to God as Ayya, "dear father", and thus to strengthen their intimacy and affection towards God. ^[86]

Ayyavazhi mystics highly focus on supreme oneness. ^[87] In the midst of all variations the theology always maintains this oneness sharply. The evil of Kali is the one which blocks that ultimate or supreme oneness prevailing between individual souls and the universe, giving an individuality and extreme pride for them and make them departing from the quality of the oneness and motivating against it. In Hinduism, Kali ( IAST: káli; Devnāgari: sa कलि from a root kad "suffer grieve hurt confound confuse" Oneness is a spiritual term referring to the 'experience' of the absence of egoic identity boundaries and according to some traditions the perception of an absolute The Self is a complex and core subject in many forms of Spirituality. In Spirituality, and especially nondual, mystical and eastern meditative traditions the human being is often conceived as being in the illusion of ^[88] Ekam — The 'over-soul' or the supreme soul, is termed as the whole existence with changeless nature and ubiquity which is viewed by individual souls as, 'one which undergoes different changes with respect to space and time' because of the evil force, maya influencing them. SpaceTime is a patent-pending three dimensional graphical user interface that allows end users to search their content such as Google Google Images Yahoo! YouTube eBay Amazon and RSS Maya ( Sanskrit sa माया māyā) in Indian religions, has multiple meanings ^[89]

All creations are evolved from this Ekam, the supreme consciousness. Ekam Tamil: ஏகம் - "the supreme oneness" is the term used in Akilattirattu Ammanai, the holy book of Ayyavazhi, to represent The In common usage existence is the world of which we are aware through our senses but in Philosophy the word has a more specialized meaning and is often contrasted with Dvapara Yuga ( Devanagari: द्वापर युग is the third out of four Yugas or ages described in the scriptures of Hinduism. ^[90] So all the qualities of Ekam are within each soul, which evolved from it. It also says that each and every individual soul is a reflection or mirror image of the absolute Supreme, Ekam^[91] which is also the spiritual synonym for the mirror-worship in Ayyavazhi. Human and all other souls are restricted to the limits by the evil Kali. This is the reason why individual souls are not able to attain the supreme bliss and so these souls are considered secondary to Ekam. Once a soul overcomes the influence of maya it gets unified with Ekam. Its individuality is no more and thereby it is Ekam. ^[92] On the other hand this supreme consciousness is personified as Paramatma (over-soul) by which, God is taught to be the 'Husband', while all other souls are his consorts^[93] which is symbolised by Thirukkalyana Ekanai where Vaikundar marry the individual souls. In Hindu theology Paramatman or Paramātmā is the Absolute Atman or Supreme Soul or Spirit (also known as Supersoul or Oversoul) Thirukkalyana Ekanai was an important part in Akilattirattu Ammanai the religious book of Ayyavazhi, in which Ayya Vaikundar unified all the atmans ^[93] Also, the philosophy applies a common formula for the creationism of human beings and the rest of the universe, so whatever exists externally to human beings exists also internally. "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus ^[94]

Ayyavazhi clearly and explicitly condemns the Hindu caste system in its social teachings. ^[95] From inception, it has also served as an institution for social reform, particularly in the area of Travancore, which was noted for its unusually strong caste system culture. ^[96] In this social contest, the intermingling of the castes brought about in Ayyavazhi centres was one of the vital elements in the transformation of society. ^[97]

Sociologically speaking, Ayya Vaikundar was the first^[98] to succeed as a social reformer^[99][100] in launching political struggle,^[101] social renaissance^{[102][103][104]} as well as religious reformation^[105] in the country. ^[106] Vaikundar was the pioneer of the social revolutionaries of Tamil Nadu^[107] and Kerala. ^[108] He was also said to be the fore runner of all social reformers of India. ^[109] Ayyavazhi displayed sympathy for the laboring classes, and opposition to the often excessive taxes they were forced to pay. ^[110] From the beginning, Ayyavazhi has also taken a strong stand against political oppression, perhaps most clearly exemplified in the characterizations of the Thiruvithkanur king as Kalineesan, (one who is a captive of Kali) and of the British as Venneesan (the white neesan) in the social sense. Venneesan was a mythical figure found in Ayyavazhi mythology. ^[111][112] It was the first ever fought Movement for Human Rights and Social Equality. ^[109] In addition it also created many social changes in the southern India^[113] impinging greatly on society highly resulting in social and self-respect movements broke out such as Upper cloth agitation,^[108] Temple entry agitation and other movements including that of Narayana Guru,^[114] Chattampi Swamikal,^[115] Vallalar,^[116] Ayyankali etc. The Self-Respect Movement was founded in 1925 by EV Ramasami Naicker (also known as Periyar in Tamil Nadu, India. The Temple Entry Proclamation issued by Maharaja Shri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma and his Dewan Sir C Nārāyana Guru (नारायण गुरुനാരായണ ഗുരു (1855 - 1928 also known as Sree Nārāyana Guru Swami was a Saint, Sree Vidyadhiraja Parama Bhattaraka Chattampi Swamikal (b1853 - d1924 was a Hindu sage and social reformer Ayyankali (1863 - 1941 was a leader of the Indian lower Caste Dalits known as the Untouchables.

Worship centres

Main article: Worship centers of Ayyavazhi

The followers of Ayyavazhi established 'Pathis' and 'Nizhal Thangals' , which are centres of worship and religious learning in different parts of the country. The Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, are centers of worship and religious learning for the followers of Ayyavazhi which are established in different parts of ^[117] They served as centres for propagation of the beliefs and practices of Ayyavazhi. ^[117] There are thousands of Nizhal Thangals^[118][119] throughout India^[120][121] mostly in South India. ^[122] As per a research paper from Madurai Kamaraj University there are more than 8000 worship centres in Tamil Nadu and Kerala alone. ^[123] The London Missionary Society (LMS) Reports of the mid-19th century also speaks in abundance about Nizhal Thangals. The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational Missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and ^[124] Since Ayyavazhi is not organised, Swamithope pathi serves, religiously as the headquarters of all. The Pathis earns more importance among the worship centres. ^[117]

Pathis which are seven in number,^[56] obtain their significance from the fact that Vaikundar and his activities were historically associated with these centres of worship. Pathi ( Tamil:பதி - "The place where God is" is the name asserted to the primary centres of congregational ^[117] Since Ayyavazhi is not an organised religion the Swamithope pathi though considered as religious head-quarters, it officially does not control the rest of the religious centres. All Pathis, except itself are managed by independently formed committees. ^[125] The five Pathis collectively known as Pancha pathi, are considered primary among Pathis. Pancha pathi பஞ்ச பதி ( Tamil: The five abodes of God) are the five important pilgrim centers of Ayyavazhi.

Nizhal Thangals, compared with Pathis generally, were simple small structures built for the purpose of worship and for learning the teachings of Vaikundar. Nizhal Thangal ( Tamil:நிழல் தாங்கல்; also called Inai Thangals) is a simple temple They served also as centres of School education during the early days. ^[126] Food and shelter were offered to the needy in these centres. ^[127] Some of them were established when Vaikundar was alive. Among them Arul Nool specifies seven Thangals^[128] and those are considered primary to the others. Even now charity is one of the main activities conducted in these centres. ^[129]

These centres are considered the abode of Dharma. The Nizhal Thangals formed an important institution in the socio-religious life of the people of Ayyavazhi. Panividai may be conducted up to three times daily, but all worship centres provide Panividai at least once daily. Ayyavazhi rituals says about the religious practices prevalent among the followers of Ayyavazhi.

Ethics

Main article: Ayyavazhi ethics

The 'ethics of Ayyavazhi' being integrated with the meta-narrative mythography are found throughout the primary scripture, Akilattirattu Ammanai. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a town that lies southeast of the City of The ethics of Ayyavazhi are found scattered throughout the primary scripture Akilattirattu Ammanai. ^[130] Regarding ethics, Arul Nool is an accumulation of the core concepts found in Akilam. ^[131] In Akilam, the ethical abstracts are pointed out as "told by God" at several places at different situations to lesser god-heads, devas, saints, etc. Deva (देव in Devanagari script pronounced as /'d̪evə/ is the Sanskrit word for "god Deity " A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity when ever asked by them.

Neetham is the primary virtues of Ayyavazhi. Neetham ( Tamil:நீதம் are the primary virtues to be followed according to the Akilam the holy text of Ayyavazhi. This shows how society, its people, the ruling king, etc. , lived in absolute harmony with nature, placing the power of almighty in all their works, deeds and activities, during early ages. In return, nature and the divine beings protect the society which follows the Neetham. Chastity and 'life in ultimate union with nature' form the central theme, an ethical form that is to be followed. As in Akilam, Vinchai are the rules and regulations provided by God (Narayana) to Vaikundar. In the literature of Hinduism Vinchai are proclamations and instructions to the newly born child Vaikundar by his father Narayana, also known as Vishnu one of the three godheads There are three such Vinchais. These were regulations provided by the Father, Narayana to the Son Vaikundar. Acts found there also fit to humans to improve their moral code. The first Vinchai of Tiruchendur forms the largest ethical accumulation found in Akilam. ^[130]

To an extent, the Dharmic teachings in Ayyavazhi are also considered as ethics. The Akilattirattu Ammanai the scripture of Ayyavazhi teaches Dharma on two different perspective Charity in social ethics and 'attempting to realise the ultimate truth of oneness' in spirituality are the ethical codes under the banner of Ayyavazhi dharma. Akilam also gives separate ethics for Devas also. Deva (देव in Devanagari script pronounced as /'d̪evə/ is the Sanskrit word for "god Deity " ^[132] Also it is notable that the Ayyavazhi ethics undergo a vast deviation from the incarnation of Vaikundar since a universal change took place then. ^[132] Over all, as the foremost ethical code, people are advocated to overcome the evil force kalimayai, with the weapon of love, forbearance and peace since Kaliyan as maya, is ruling the minds of people. Kalimayai is the Illusion caused by the Evil spirit of Kali Yukam, ( not the Hindu deity Kali) according to Akilattirattu Maya ( Sanskrit sa माया māyā) in Indian religions, has multiple meanings

Arul Nool constitutes the major role in forming the rules and regulations of Ayyavazhi including ethics. It gives separately the social as well as divine ethics. The Sivakanda Athikara Pathiram here is the section especially dedicated to teach the ethics. The Sivakanta Athikarappatthiram is one of the sub-sections of Arul Nool which was the secondary scripture of Ayyavazhi. The rituals, especially circumambulations are told to be followed to wash-out the sin committed related to immoral thinking. Circumambulation (Sanskrit Pradakshina; Tibetan skor ba) is the act of moving around a sacred object

Religiosity – study circle

Main article: Ayyavazhi religious studies

It is difficult to give a clear-cut listing to Ayyavazhi concepts because of the relation the Ayyavazhi scriptures maintains with the Hindu scriptures. The Ayyavazhi symbolism deals with the symbols which are used in or used to represent Ayyavazhi The religious studies of Ayyavazhi are based primarily on the Ayyavazhi scriptures. Literature regarded as central to the Hindu literary tradition was predominantly composed in Sanskrit, Indeed much of the morphology and linguistic Akilam primarily says the central themes of the existing scriptures (that of Hindu) had gone awry by the advent of Vaikundar. It also narrates that, Akilam is given to mankind as an alternative because Kaliyan destroy the original vedas and Shastras and at the beginning of Kali Yuga several additions were given to the previous scriptures by him. ^[133] These both view points give the view of Akilam on Hindu Scriptures, and place them as reasons for rejecting them.

The philosophy, terms and myth of the Ayyavazhi scriptures are the basis of religious study on Ayyavazhi theology. Ayyavazhi theology is the Theology of a South Indian religious faith and officially an offshoot of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. ^[134] But several terms quoted in Akilam couldn't be understood wholly unless by referring to the descriptive details of those terms in Hindu sriptures. For example, if the 96 tatvas are understood, then the Kaliyan is understood. Tatvas are the 96 Qualities or Properties of Human body according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, the religious book of Ayyavazhi Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of the primordial manifestation of Kroni (evil according to Akilam, the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book Therefore theologians and philosophers nowadays turn to Hindu scriptures to further their understanding of the tatvas as properties of Human body, which are not elaborated upon in Akilam. ^[135] How ever, to understand Akilam and its Philosophy, one should have a basic knowledge over the Hindu ideas and concepts. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Since Akilam have no different view in this matter from Hindu scriptures, it was left to be gathered from there.

On mythical studies, Akilam covers almost the entire main mythology of Hinduism including Mahabharata, Ramayana, Kantha Purana, Vishnu Purana, etc but with limited details. See also Mythology Myth is derived from the Greek word μύθος mythos, which simply means 'story' Hindu mythology is the large body of Mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki It includes only the main events which are directly linked to the main-stream story flow. But to undergo a detailed study on each, the appropriate Hindu scriptures which includes those events in detail, needed to be referred. Literature regarded as central to the Hindu literary tradition was predominantly composed in Sanskrit, Indeed much of the morphology and linguistic It provides all these collectively in brief with an over-all story line, which makes it unique. Many philosophical concepts from Hinduism are found in Akilam; some of them are completely accepted, some are regenerated, while others are rejected by omitting.

Generally it was considered that once a particular concept is not found well-described in Ayyavazhi scriptures, such as Akilattirattu Ammanai or Arul Nool (as detail as in Hindu scriptures), and instead simply have quoted and the rest is left to be found from there, then that particular conception is accepted as in Hindu scriptures for religious studies. But once Akilam have different views over something from that of the existing (Hindu) scriptures, then it would be found deeply described in Akilam itself and hence no need for referring other scriptures. ^[136]

God

Main article: Ayyavazhi theology

The theology of Ayyavazhi differs from other monistic religions. Ekam Tamil: ஏகம் - "the supreme oneness" is the term used in Akilattirattu Ammanai, the holy book of Ayyavazhi, to represent The Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign Ayyavazhi theology is the Theology of a South Indian religious faith and officially an offshoot of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. Monism is the metaphysical and Theological view that all is one that all reality is subsumed under the most fundamental category of being or existence ^[137] It speaks of Ekam, the ultimate Oneness from which all that which exists formed and also an 'oneness' that exists behind all differences. The Ekam, which is articulated as the supreme divine power itself is supposed to remain unaffected by maya deep inside every changeable matters as an absolute constant. The Absolute is the concept of an absolute unconditional reality which transcends limited conditional everyday existence So in theological terms God is, in the highest sense, one, formless, infinite, genderless, beyond Time and space etc. Infinity (symbolically represented with ∞) comes from the Latin infinitas or "unboundedness Also notably, the term Ekam in Tamil language give simply the meanings, 'one', 'absolute' ^[138] 'the whole which exist' ,^[139] 'the incomparable' ^[140] which all give some sort of direct monistic definition about god from Ayyavazhi theology.

Narrating through mythology, The 'Sivam' (mass) and the 'Sakthi' (force) are the first to get evolved from Ekam. The 'Natham' (voice), Trimurthi, other lesser gods and the entire universe further evolved. Siva, one among the Trimurthi was the supreme power till Kali Yuga. Vishnu is the supreme from the advent of Kali Yuga. Then from the incarnation of Vaikundar, again the powers of all god-heads, including that of Vishnu is transformed to Vaikundar. Ekam, the supreme power which is one among the Trinity, takes a place within Vaikundar for the present age. According to the Ayyavazhi religion the Ayyavazhi Trinity is the incarnation of God in the current stage of world development ( Kali Yukam) Therefore, Vaikundar is said to be the only worshipable and supreme power. But on the other hand a quote from Akilam thirteen says this supreme oneness (Ekam) itself is created by Vaikundar, who is a personified universal power. The Akilam thirteen is one of the sub-sections of Akilattirattu Ammanai the Primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, one of the fastest growing religions of India In this regard Ayyavazhi is more monotheistic rather than monistic. For the Celtic Frost album see Monotheist (album In Theology, monotheism (from Greek grc [[wiktμόνος μόνος]] No other god-heads, even the Father of Vaikundar, Narayana have not gained an equal or greater status than Ekam. Vaikundar is a turine power who includes the qualities of the Santror, Narayana and Ekam within himself. According to the Ayyavazhi religion the Ayyavazhi Trinity is the incarnation of God in the current stage of world development ( Kali Yukam)

In Ayyavazhi mythology, Kroni was personified as a devil, and was fragmented into six and was finally destroyed by a final judgment which is followed by the god-ruled Dharma Yukam. The Devil is the This narration gives some dualistic dimension to Ayyavazhi theology. But since most of the teachings of Arul Nool is monistic and since the final fragment of Kroni is said as 'Kalimayai' (the evil spirit) it was commonly accepted that the destruction of Maya is symbolised in such a way,^[141] which contrast the dualistic view on Ayyavazhi. Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". Apart from all these, there are also separate quotes in Ayyavazhi scriptures which give pantheistic and panentheistic definition to Ayyavazhi theology. Pantheism ( Greek: πάν ( 'pan') = all and θεός ( 'theos') = God it literally means " God is All Panentheism (from Greek (pân "all" (en "in" and (Theós "God" "all-in-God" is a belief system

Festivals and rituals

Main articles: Ayyavazhi festivals and Ayyavazhi rituals

There are basically two yearly festivals for Ayyavazhi. Kodiyettru Thirunal is the festival celebrated in Swamithoppepathi for eleven days by the followers of the Ayyavazhi. Swamithoppe Pathi ( Tamil:சுவாமிதோப்பு பதி Swamithoppu-pathi, Manavai-pathi, Thamarai-pathi or Thalaimaippathi Payyan dynasty is a family which manage and administer Swamithope pathi, the head quarters of Ayyavazhi. The festivals and celebrations play an important role in the socio-religious universe of Ayyavazhi. Ayyavazhi rituals says about the religious practices prevalent among the followers of Ayyavazhi. The Ayya Vaikunda Avataram is celebrated on the 20th day of the Tamil month Masi (March - April). The Ayya Vaikunda Avataram ( Tamil: அய்யா வைகுண்ட அவதாரம் - Incarnation of Vaikundar) is a festival celebrated by the followers }The Tamil Calendar is used in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry in India, and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, This is the only Ayyavazhi festival, to be celebrated as per the Solar calendar. A solar calendar is a Calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the Sun (or equivalently the apparent position of the sun moving ^[142] The mass procession conducted on this day from Nagercoil to Swamithoppe is a popular one in this part of the country. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Nagercoil (Tamil நாகர்கோவில் is a city and it is the Http//en WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a town that lies southeast of the City of ^[143] The Thiru Edu-Vasippu is a festival of seventeen days celebrated in the Tamil month of Karthigai (November - December). Thiru Edu-Vasippu is the Indian Ayyavazhi Festival of melodiously reading the contents of Akilattirattu Ammanai, celebrated in Pathis ^[144] This celebration of textual reciting as a festival itself, is a unique feature to Ayyavazhi. Apart from this, there is a tri-yearly celebration of Kodiyettru Thirunal in Swamithope. Kodiyettru Thirunal is the festival celebrated in Swamithoppepathi for eleven days by the followers of the Ayyavazhi. Another unique feature is the celebration of every day as a festival in Swamithope, called as 'Nitham Thirunal' . ^[145]

In addition to the philosophical concepts and mythology, the rituals of Ayyavazhi evolved in their own way. Most of the rituals have different operational(religious) and historical meanings. ^[146] Historically, the rituals were used or viewed as an attempt break the case based inequalities prevailed in the then society and to strengthen and uplift the sociologically downtrodden and ill-treated. Examples of this include the physical as well as spiritual cleanliness through Thuvayal Thavasu, eliminating untouchability through Thottunamam, self-respect and courage through headgear,^[147] and unifying various castes through Muthirikkinaru. Cleanliness is the absence of dirt including Dust, Stains bad smells and Garbage. ^[148] But they reveal on the other hand, high philosophical ideas preached in a ritual language.

The Muthirikkinaru and Thirunamam is treated religiously as if the 'Patham and Namam' of it has the power to heal all sorts of mental^[149] as well as physical illness. Muthiri kinaru ( Tamil:முத்திரி கிணறு Muthiri (affixing the seal + Kinaru (well means "The sealed well" ^[147][150] Thuvayal thavasu is suggested to be followed as a training to reach the ultimate aim of Dharma Yukam. ^[151] The usage of head-gear as the crown to reveal that 'all are kings', visualising an ideology similar to advaita. Ayyavazhi rituals says about the religious practices prevalent among the followers of Ayyavazhi. Also Ayyavazhi scriptures succeeded very much in making understand this commonly insensible thing (Philosophical ideas) to the common mass. The individual rituals, the ecstatic religiosity, and the ritual healing which are the features of Ayyavazhi worship contributed to the formation of an idea of emancipation and a social discourse. ^[152] It attempts to uplift and treat the disenfranchised. Another important thing to be noted is, the alternative phrases religiously used in Ayyavazhi universe different from Hinduism, to represent certain practices. Ayyavazhi rituals says about the religious practices prevalent among the followers of Ayyavazhi.

Inclusiveness and exclusivity

Main article: Inclusiveness and exclusivity in Ayyavazhi

This formula of inclusiveness and exclusivity as applied in the religio-cultural universe of Ayyavazhi is unique, since both the theories and mixed-up in Ayyavazhi scriptures. The Inclusiveness and exclusivity in Ayyavazhi is the Inclusive and Exclusive Ideology of Ayyavazhi Scriptures over other Inclusivism, one of several approaches to understanding the relationship between Religions asserts that while one set of Beliefs is absolutely True, other Exclusivity is the title of a number-one R&B single by Damian Dame. Its inclusive theory, accepts the views of different religions for a certain period of time, and from then onwards exclusively rejects all of them in its narrative.

Ayyavazhi accepts different God-heads of several religions such as the concept of 'Allah' and almost all God-heads in Hinduism. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Swamithope (alternate spelling Swamithoppe) is the name of a town that lies southeast of the City of Palliyarai(Palli+(Araiis a Tamil word used for the Sanctum Sanctoram in Hindu temples Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' ^[153] It also says that the one and the same God incarnates in different parts of the world at different time for rescuing the people from sufferings. ^[153] But due to the advent of Kaliyan and because of the cruel nature of his boons, for the first time the supreme divine power, Ekam incarnates in the world as Vaikundar and so all the lesser God-heads and previous scriptures had lost their substances. Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of Kroni, the primordial Manifestation of Evil according to Akilattirattu Ammanai the Holy book of Ayyavazhi. So after the time of Vaikunda avatar, Vaikundar was said to be the only worshipable God and hence, the theology of Ayyavazhi was channeled towards exclusivism. Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation Also the manner in which Akilam treats the scriptures of different religions is complicated. Akilam says that Narayana was the one who incarnates as Jesus and so it accepts Christ,^[153] but it did not recognise The Bible. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin It seems the view of Akilam on Bible is ' it (Bible) was created with the intention of man and not that of God' . ^[154] Likewise, Akilam accepts that the term 'Allah',^[153] but likely rejects the religion of Islam and its ideas. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

Ayyavazhi accepts various incarnations in Hinduism, but rejects the Hindu scriptures. Incarnation which literally means embodied in flesh, refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature (generally a human who is the It initially accepts Vedas. ^[155] Later since Kaliyan had bought the Vedas as boon they too lost their substance by the advent of Kaliyan, and so had gone invalid. Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of Kroni, the primordial Manifestation of Evil according to Akilattirattu Ammanai the Holy book of Ayyavazhi. It also says that he (Kaliyan) had performed several additions and had hidden some of their content. And hence God incarnated as Vaikundar. So for the present age, Akilam is said to be the only 'Book of Perfection' . By this Ayyavazhi rejects all other scriptures and follows only its own. The Akilattirattu Ammanai and Arul Nool are the scriptures of Ayyavazhi. Akilam highly condemns the creation of religions especially exclusivistic religious and theological ideas. It shows them as the foremost Kali mayai (evil of Kali). ^[156] The scriptures teach that God and his activities are beyond the reach of religions. It also preaches about universal oneness. ^[2]

Mythology

Main article: Ayyavazhi mythology

The mythology of Ayyavazhi narrates that the essence of this vision is an account of a history - a past, a present and a future - meant by weaving together of empirical facts, historical events as well as mythical accounts. Narayana ( Sanskrit: नारायण nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary According to the Ayyavazhi religion the Ayyavazhi Trinity is the incarnation of God in the current stage of world development ( Kali Yukam) Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the growing South Indian religious faith and a sect of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. ^[157] It moves around three axiomatic typologies, namely Santror, Kali Yukam and Dharma Yukam, placing their base on the concepts and events of previous yugas which are associated also with Hindu mythology. The Santror are the seven boys who were made to born by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds by Thirumal, to the Seven Virgins through their instrumentality Hindu mythology is the large body of Mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and The basic concepts give a symbolic vision which is at once religious and social. ^[158]

It is closely linked to that of Hinduism. Akilam talks about the previous yugas and the evolution of Kroni through them. Kroni ( Tamil:குறோணி is a figure in Ayyavazhi mythology. Events, mythical characters, and concepts are shared with Hinduism,though may be engendered in different form. The number of Yugas and Avatars differs in Ayyavazhi from Hinduism. The personification of the entity of Evil for the current yuga, Kaliyan is unique to Ayyavazhi, and not found in Hinduism. Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of the primordial manifestation of Kroni (evil according to Akilam, the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book Akilam says that the true concepts were destroyed, so that all previous scriptures had lost their substances due to the advent of Kali. ^[159]

The book also speaks of God incarnating in the world in the Kali Yukam (the present age) to destroy the evil spirit, the final and the most serious manifestation of Kroni. Kroni ( Tamil:குறோணி is a figure in Ayyavazhi mythology. God incarnates as Vaikundar, and since Vaikundar lived recently, he was well-known in history. So in the second part of the mythology many mythical as well as historical facts were woven together. Most of the events such as Muthirikkinaru,^[160] Wearing of Headgear during worship,^[161] Thuvayal Thavasu^[162] all were noted in history.

AVATARS AND ASURAS THROUGH THE YUGAS

NO	Yuga	CHAKRA*[80]	ASURA	AVATAR
1	Neetiya Yuga	Bindu	Kroni	Narayana
2	Chathura Yukam	Muladhara	Kundomasali	Mayon
3	Netu Yukam	Swadhisthana	Thillai mallalan and Mallosivahanan	Thirumal
4	Kretha Yuga	Manipura	Surapadman and Iraniyan	Muruga and Narasimha
5	Tretha Yuga	Anahata	Ravana	Rama
6	Dwapara Yuga	Vishuddha	Duryodhana	Krishna
7	Kali Yuga	Ajna	Kaliyan	Trinity
8	Dharma Yuga	Sahasrara	none	Ayya Vaikundar

* Chakras:- The yugas assumed as chakras above, is one of the philosophical views and is not mentioned directly so in Akilam. A Yuga ( Devanāgari: युग in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages Chakra ( Pali: chakka Tibetan: khorlo Malay: cakera is a Sanskrit term meaning Circle or Wheel In Hinduism In Hinduism, the Asura ( Sanskrit: असुर are a group of power-seeking deities sometimes referred to as Demons or sinful Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation In Ayyavazhi mythology, Neetiya Yuga is the first of the Eight Yukams. Bindu is a Sanskrit term meaning "point" or "dot" Kroni ( Tamil:குறோணி is a figure in Ayyavazhi mythology. Narayana ( Sanskrit: नारायण nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary In the second yukam called Chathura Yukam,accoording to Ayyavazhi mythology one of the six Pieces of Kroni was formed as a creature with the Muladhara (Sanskrit मूलाधार Mūlādhāra meaning "root place" is the first of the main seven Chakras according to Hinduism. In the second yukam called Chathura Yukam,accoording to Ayyavazhi mythology one of the six Pieces of Kroni was formed as a creature with the Narayana ( Sanskrit: नारायण nārāyaṇa) or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary Netu Yukam, according to Ayyavazhi mythology, was a time when another fragment of Kroni was created into two wicked persons called Thillaimallalan and Swadhisthana (Sanskrit स्वाधिष्ठान Svādhiṣṭhāna called 'One's own abode' is the second primary Chakra according to Hindu tradition Netu Yukam, according to Ayyavazhi mythology, was a time when another fragment of Kroni was created into two wicked persons called Thillaimallalan and Netu Yukam, according to Ayyavazhi mythology, was a time when another fragment of Kroni was created into two wicked persons called Thillaimallalan and Perumal பெருமாள் also Thirumal திருமால் is a Hindu Deity popular amongst Tamils of Tamil Nadu The fourth Aeon was called Kretha Yukam, according to Ayyavazhi mythology. Manipura (Sanskrit मणिपूर Maṇipūra called 'city of jewels' is the third primary Chakra according to Hindu tradition Surapadman is a demon of Sri Lanka who was almost slain by Lord Muruga (but asking for pardon prior to dying was forced to become Muruga's Vahana, the Hiranyakashipu (or Hiranyakasipu) ( Sanskrit: हिरण्‍यकश्यप is an Asura from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism Narasimha ( IAST Narasiṃha Sanskrit नरसिंह (other spellings are Narasingh, Narasinga) is an Avatara of Vishnu The Treta Yuga ( Devanagari: त्रेता युगis the second out of four Yugas or ages of man in the religion of Hinduism, following the Anahata (Sanskrit अनाहत Anāhata is the fourth primary Chakra according to the Hindu Yogic and Tantric ( Shakta For the South Indian film see Ravana (film. Ravanaa, also transliterated as Raavana, Ravan or Rama ( IAST: rāma Devanāgarī: राम Khmer: Phreah Ream Thai: Phra Ram Lao: Phra Lam Tagalog: Dvapara Yuga ( Devanagari: द्वापर युग is the third out of four Yugas or ages described in the scriptures of Hinduism. Vishuddha (Sanskrit विशुद्ध Viśuddha also known as Vishuddhi, is the fifth primary Chakra according to Hindu tradition In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana (दुर्योधन is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism Kali Yuga ( Devanāgarī: sa कलियुग lit "Age of Kali " "age of vice" is one of the four stages of development that the world goes Ajna (Sanskrit आज्ञा Ājña, aʤɲʌ meaning 'command' is the sixth primary Chakra according to Hindu tradition Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of the primordial manifestation of Kroni (evil according to Akilam, the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book According to the Ayyavazhi religion the Ayyavazhi Trinity is the incarnation of God in the current stage of world development ( Kali Yukam) Dharma Yukam (Tamil is the state of absolute bliss as per Ayyavazhi mythology. Sahasrara (Sanskrit सहस्रार Sahasrāra is the seventh primary Chakra according to Hindu tradition Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign

Though there are quotes in Arul Nool to accredit the ten Avatars of Vishnu, it seems that they are not seen in equal status with these incarnations (as in the table). It was considered secondary to the primary avatars which are associated with the destructions of the fragments of Kroni. This view, is not inconsistent with Hinduism as only Narasimha, Rama and Krishna are considered the primary avatars who are still worshipped. Narasimha ( IAST Narasiṃha Sanskrit नरसिंह (other spellings are Narasingh, Narasinga) is an Avatara of Vishnu The other avatars are considered secondary avatars who are not worshipped.

Santror and Dharma yukam

Main articles: The Santror and Dharma Yukam

The Santror are the subject of the religious vision of Ayyavazhi. The Santror are the seven boys who were made to born by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds by Thirumal, to the Seven Virgins through their instrumentality Dharma Yukam (Tamil is the state of absolute bliss as per Ayyavazhi mythology. The Santror are the seven boys who were made to born by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds by Thirumal, to the Seven Virgins through their instrumentality ^[163] There is both a religious and a social category in its connotation. ^[164] In the social sense, it is believed that the term Santror fits rightly to the early 'Chanars' who were called by the Arabs as "Al Hind", and known in Biblical times as the "People of Five Rivers", and now scattered with more than 250 branches through-out the world. ^[165] But in turn, in ideological sense and from the literary meaning of the term 'Santror' in Tamil, it represents one who is noble and lives with dignity^[166] and supreme knowledge,^[167] giving an inclusive character and universal reach. A quote from Akilam reads, "Chanars (Santror) are those who have the ability to see 'the invisible' constantly. "^[164]

The Santror are given a historical background in Ayyavazhi mythology as seven boys who were made to born in the mythical river Ayodha Amirtha Vanam by using the seven seeds from seven upper worlds, by Thirumal, to the Seven virgins. This Ayotha Amirtha Gangai is a mythical river found in Akilattirattu Ammanai the source of Ayyavazhi mythology. Perumal பெருமாள் also Thirumal திருமால் is a Hindu Deity popular amongst Tamils of Tamil Nadu Their lineage started at the end phase of Dvapara Yukam and continued through the Kali Yukam into the Dharma Yukam. Dvapara Yuga ( Devanagari: द्वापर युग is the third out of four Yugas or ages described in the scriptures of Hinduism. Theologians interpret that these seven boys refers to the ancestors of the whole human race, and hence the term 'Santror' refers to the whole Human race. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus ^[168] It is believed that Kali is being destroyed continuously by the activities of the Santror in the Path of Vaikundar, and so the Dharma Yukam unfolds eventually. In this sense they have a considerable roll in the destruction of Kali, the foremost evil.

The Ayyavazhi proposes an emancipatory utopia under the banner of Dharma Yukam. Dharma Yukam (Tamil is the state of absolute bliss as per Ayyavazhi mythology. ^[169] The basis of the belief is that Ayya Vaikundar had come to establish and rule as the everlasting king^[170] over the Dharma Yukam in the place of Kali Yukam after sentencing Kroni to hell by the final judgment to him. Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign Kali Yuga ( Devanāgarī: sa कलियुग lit "Age of Kali " "age of vice" is one of the four stages of development that the world goes ^[171] The Dharma Yukam is narrated as beyond the limits of Time and space,^[172] though the Akilam gives space for the beliefs over karma and rebirth. Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्म, kárman - "act action performance" Pali: kamma) is the concept of "action" Apart from this, the Dharma Yukam is often related to Moksha — the personal liberation, and to the state of Oneness too. In Indian religions, Moksha ( Sanskrit: sa मोक्ष mokṣa) or Mukti ( Sanskrit: sa मुक्ति literally "release" ^[173][174]

Relation with Hinduism

Main article: Ayyavazhi and Hinduism

The Hindu and Ayyavazhi ideology is closely tied to each other. Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of Kroni, the primordial Manifestation of Evil according to Akilattirattu Ammanai the Holy book of Ayyavazhi. Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of the primordial manifestation of Kroni (evil according to Akilam, the source of Ayyavazhi mythology and the holy book Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva This is an article comparing the Beliefs Mythology, Theology, Rituals etc of Ayyavazhi and Hinduism. The place where Ayyavazhi and Hinduism depart from each other is at the advent of Kali yuga. Akilam says that until Kali Yuga the Vedas and all other Hindu scriptures remain with divinity. Literature regarded as central to the Hindu literary tradition was predominantly composed in Sanskrit, Indeed much of the morphology and linguistic Each of the gods in Hinduism also remain with all their powers. Within Hinduism a large number of personalities or 'forms' are worshiped as Murtis. But from the beginning of Kali Yuga they and all their virtues collapsed. ^[175] Kaliyan was a part of the mundane primordial manifestation who spread maya or illusion upon the existing scriptures and Devas. Maya ( Sanskrit sa माया māyā) in Indian religions, has multiple meanings ^[176] In Kali Yuga, all true scriptures are bound to maya and are unhelpful. Maya ( Sanskrit sa माया māyā) in Indian religions, has multiple meanings

On the other hand, there in Kailash, Siva believing the words of devas, created Kaliyan without discussing to Vishnu, he who had the responsibility to destroy the Kaliyan as per the previous deeds. ^[177] So Vishnu refused to take birth in the world to destroy Kaliyan. ^[178] So Siva and Brahma surrendered all their powers to Vishnu. Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. ^[179] Till this event, Siva is the supreme power as per Akilam. This is a theological idea similar to Shaivism, where Siva is supreme to all. Shaivism, also spelled "Saivism" names the oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. But from now onwards Vishnu was the supreme power. Here the ideology changes similar to that of Vaishnavism. Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and This supremacy of Vishnu remains like this from the beginning of Kali Yuga till the incarnation of Vaikundar from where it changes further. Kali Yuga ( Devanāgarī: sa कलियुग lit "Age of Kali " "age of vice" is one of the four stages of development that the world goes

During the incarnation, Vishnu himself can not incarnate directly in the world to destroy Kaliyan, since he had bought as boon, the power of Devas including Vishnu's and spread all over the world as maya. Kaliyan was the sixth fragment of Kroni, the primordial Manifestation of Evil according to Akilattirattu Ammanai the Holy book of Ayyavazhi. So God needs to be incarnated with a new set of rules and with unique importance. So a total universal transformation of the power relation of god-heads, the rules of scriptures, the dharma, etc. took place and Vaikundar was given birth by taking in the power of Ekam, by Lakshmi and Vishnu joining together inside the sea. Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi (pronunciation; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth ^[180]

And from now onwards all the powers were handld over from Vishnu to Vaikundar inside the sea. Siva, Vishnu and Brahma therefore form a part within Vaikundar. Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. ^[181] This ideology about Trimurthi (three are equal in power) is similar to that of Smartism. The Trimurti ( English: ‘three forms’ Sanskrit: trimūrti) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation Vishnu alone forms a double role; One, within Vaikundar and other as the father of him, remain inside the sea and regulating Vaikundar. ^[181] Since Vaikundar is given birth, by assuming the Power of Ekam, Vaikundar is supreme to Vishnu and all other God-heads, though Narayana pays the role of Father to Vaikundar. But on the other hand Vaikundar had to obey the order of Vishnu, since Vaikundar was given birth to perform the duties of Vishnu, which he could not do. Vaikundar (and scriptures given by him) is the manifestation of the supreme Ekam so, in Ayyavazhi spirituality, he is the only worshipable universal Power^[182]

Regarding scriptures, the first part of Akilam is summed-up events of the previous yugas which are present in Hindu scriptures. ^[183] The second part says about the universal transformation and the uniqueness of Vaikundar and his incarnational activities. ^[183] So as a summary, till the beginning of Kali yuga, what is Hinduism, that is Ayyavazhi. From then onwards for a series of reasons, Akilam says that Hindu scriptures and its ideology had lost its purity and was destroyed,^[184] and so the Dharma was re-configured in the name of Akilam and Vaikundar and the Hindu ideas were re-formed. The Akilattirattu Ammanai the scripture of Ayyavazhi teaches Dharma on two different perspective

Phenomenology

Main article: Ayyavazhi phenomenology

Akilam points out its basis as a regeneration of Dharma in the form of an entirely new ideology. Ayyavazhi phenomenology is the phenomenological variations found in Ayyavazhi society worship centers etc from their holy text Akilattirattu Ammanai. ^[185] But today most of the followers of Ayyavazhi address Vaikundar merely as the incarnation of Vishnu. Likewise most of the Nizhal Thangals were called as Narayana Swami Pathi similar to Hindu, Vaishnavism. Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and Most of the followers also worship Kali and folk deities not included the ideas based in Ayyavazhi scripture. ^[186]

Some followers of Ayyavazhi include Vaikundar as part of the 10 avatars of Vishnu as Kalki, and some denominations strongly advocate moksha, the personal liberation though it is not stated in Akilam. Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation In Hinduism, Kalki ( Devanagari: कल्कि also rendered by some as Kalkin and Kalaki) is the tenth and final Maha Avatara (great Some even reject the Trinity conception in Ayyavazhi and believe Narayana to be the supreme Universal power. According to the Ayyavazhi religion the Ayyavazhi Trinity is the incarnation of God in the current stage of world development ( Kali Yukam) ^[187] The unique monotheistic belief which is the central theme of Ayyavazhi is completely unknown among most of the followers today. ^[186] Deviating far away from the strict monotheistic teachings of Akilam, some thangals provides panividais for other lesser gods too. ^[186]

The Ayyavazhi's spread among the common people was mainly due to the practice of Shamanism. The only sign to distinguish the practitioners of Ayyavazhi is they wore Thirunamam (the sign on their forehead). ^[188] The Nizhal Thangals are identified amongst the other temples by the fact that idols are replaced by mirrors in the Palliyarai. Palliyarai(Palli+(Araiis a Tamil word used for the Sanctum Sanctoram in Hindu temples ^[188] Only the recitations of a handful of scholars educated in the Ayyavazhi scriptures point out the real facts and concepts of Akilam and the philosophical and ideological deviation of Ayyavazhi from Hinduism. ^[189] All these philosophical, ideological and religious variations in the society of Ayyavazhi makes them hard to be identified as a religion and instead taken as a Hindu offshoot. Ayyavazhi is a belief system originating from South India, which advocates that Ayya Vaikundar is an incarnation of Narayana, based on its religious scripture Ayyavazhi is a belief system originating from South India, which advocates that Ayya Vaikundar is an incarnation of Narayana, based on its religious scripture

Social structure

Main article: Structure of Ayyavazhi

Ayyavazhi worship was marked by its simplicity. Ayyavazhi is a belief system originating from South India, which advocates that Ayya Vaikundar is an incarnation of Narayana, based on its religious scripture The absence of idol worship and priestly mediation, and inclusion of alternate type of centres of worship, the Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, were other characteristics of Ayyavazhi worship. Pathi ( Tamil:பதி - "The place where God is" is the name asserted to the primary centres of congregational Nizhal Thangal ( Tamil:நிழல் தாங்கல்; also called Inai Thangals) is a simple temple Rituals of Ayyavazhi are a reform or revolutionary activity focusing upon social-equality which is a deviation from Hinduism. Ayyavazhi is also characterised and bound by religious beliefs which give it an alternative spiritual meaning. ^[190] Its scriptures cover basic elements and ideas through-out Hinduism. It refers to Shastras, Agamas, Vedas and Puranas. Śāstra (anglicized either shastra or sastra) is a Sanskrit word used to denote Education /knowledge in a general sense "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" ^[191] But address them all to be gone awry by the Advent of Vaikundar,^[192] from where Ayyavazhi scriptures forms negative ideas over all other traditions. Though Ayyavazhi shares many god-heads with Hinduism, it weaves unique ideology and power assumption for them. Ayyavazhi can be portrayed as a Hindu renaissance. Ayyavazhi is viewed as a reform movement too, by the reformation of the Tamil and Kerala society and it brought many social changes in the 19th century. Tamil people (also called Tamils or Tamilians) ( are an Ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India, and the north-eastern Kerala ( Malayalam: {{Kerala in Malayalam}};

The religious structure evolved in the path of Ayyavazhi scriptures and as a result it transfigured itself as an alternative religio-cultural system in the social category. The Ayyavazhi's addressed their system as "Path of God" with the phrase "Ayya Vazhi". On one hand they believe that their tradition had come to replace all old traditions (religions), but on the other hand as the synopsis of the whole of world's religious knowledge. On one hand they believe, that Vaikundar had unified all deities of the world and so all the so called deities within him and on the other as, all previous had gone awry by the advent of Vaikundar. Ayya Vaikundar (அய்யா வைகுண்டர் according to Akilattirattu Ammanai, a scripture of the Ayyavazhi, was a Manu (father sovereign ^[192] Apart from this, Ayyavazhi have separate theology, mythology, holy places, worship centres, and ethics of its own. Ayyavazhi theology is the Theology of a South Indian religious faith and officially an offshoot of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. Ayyavazhi mythology is the mythology of the growing South Indian religious faith and a sect of Hinduism known as Ayyavazhi. The holy places of Ayyavazhi includes the following Primary Pathis Swamithope pathi Ambala Pathi Mutta Pathi The Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, are centers of worship and religious learning for the followers of Ayyavazhi which are established in different parts of

Though many of its followers consider it as a separate religion, there is evidence that some of the followers are even of the opinion that this is but a Hindu sect rather than an autonomous religion. ^[193] They indulge in the mystic practices of possessions and divinations similar to the tribal religions of Tamil Nadu. Also, many of its core beliefs are similar to some Hindu sects such as Advaita and Smartism.

Regarding demographics, Ayyavazhi followers are highly concentrated in South India though found across India, comparatively in less numbers. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country In Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu, it's very hard to find a village without a worship centre of Ayyavazhi. Tamil Nadu ( Tamil:, Country of the Tamils, t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ is one of the 28 states of India. The Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, are centers of worship and religious learning for the followers of Ayyavazhi which are established in different parts of ^[194] Apart from the listings from the religious head quarters, though it is evident that Ayyavazhi followers are spread across the India (from University papers)^[18][194] there are no official figures for the number of followers of Ayyavazhi since they are considered Hindus in the census. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical

See also

• Ayyavazhi and Hinduism
• List of Ayyavazhi-related articles
• Hindu Renaissance
• Eastern religion
• Dharmic religions
• Religion in India
• Hindu denominations

Bibliography

Notes and references

External links

• www.ayyavazhi.org - Ayya Vaikundar The Spiritual light
• www.vaikunt.org - Ayyavazhi
• www.ayyavaigundar.org - Avatar
• www.nairs.org - Views on Vaikundar as a saint
• www.nandhi.com - Ayya Narayana
• www.ayyaundu.org - Siddantha of Ayyavazhi
• www.indianetzone.com - Ayyavazhi : An Overview
• www.ayyavaikuntar.com - Ayya Vaikunda Pathi
• www.vaigundaa.com - Summary of Incarnational activities of Vaikundar

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic